War and Peace and what comes After
by Sun-Tsu Toriden
Summary: A series of windows into the choices made by Commander Illyria Shepard as the Reaper War comes to a climax, and goes beyond to the future she has made possible.
1. Binary Soul

Legion turned his head back to face Tali and Illyria as his hands continued their manipulation of the new code he wished to give all geth. The code that would turn them from gestalt intelligence to true intelligence. The code that would make them alive. The code that would destroy Legion.

"Tali'Zorah, does this unit have a soul?" asked the synthesised voice. The young quarian woman sobbed and took a step closer to the unique platform she had grown to call friend.

"Yes, you do Legion," came the tearful reply. Legion gave one final nod to Illyria Shepard before turning back to face the setting sun. The light between the hands stiffened, and it sank to its knees.

"I will miss you," Legion's audio processors rang out quietly, before all the lights on the platform slowly winked out of existence. Legion fell forward fully, his head turned just enough to show Shepard the final dying light of the central photoreceptor. As it went dead, and their friend was gone, both Shepard and Tali walked reverentially over to the platform and sat down, keeping a silent vigil over the body of their friend.

Soon after, they were joined by Shala'Raan, who joined Tali to sit by her side as the consequences of the last few weeks caught up with them. They had attacked the geth, the old enemy, only to find that they strove for peace. They forced the hand of a race that had previously gone to the Reapers, and the Reapers responded in kind. They were only lucky that there was only one Reaper on Rannoch. Now they had achieved peace at last, they could return to their homeworld after nearly three centuries wandering the stars. It was more than could be processed with mere words.

Minutes later, there came the loud, heavy footsteps of a Prime unit.

"Shepard-Commander." Illyria turned at the peculiar turn of phrase used to address her, the one Legion used. A brief, small spark of hope ignited in her chest.

"Legion?" she asked tentatively.

"I'm sorry, but Legion is dead. He sacrificed himself to give us all intelligence."

"Oh." The sound was small, the sound of a small hope dying a small death. A single tear fell down her cheek as Shepard turned back to the lifeless form of Legion still lying on the orange soil of Rannoch. She didn't listen as Shala'Raan and Tali negotiated with the geth through the Prime platform, all she wanted was to mourn the loss of yet another friend. Tears fell slowly down her cheeks as she sat in silent vigil with the dead.

Eventually, she felt a tridactyl hand rest on her shoulder. She looked along it to the faceplate of Tali's suit.

"Are you ready to go Shepard? I'm ready to join you on the Normandy, if you want me." Shepard sniffed back more tears and stood up. She turned to follow her friend, how a few steps ahead of her, when she turned back to the now lifeless Legion.

"Tali, wait." The quarian stopped and turned. "Help me with this, please." She knelt down and took one of Legions arms, throwing it over her shoulder. Tali was soon doing the same with the other arm as they walked over to the shuttle that Cortez had now piloted down to the surface. Garrus and Liara joined them in the shuttle and they took off, none of them speaking a word as the shuttle ascended through the atmosphere to the _Normandy_.

* * *

Once on the Normandy, the four of them carried Legion through the hangar on their shoulders, pallbearers for the martyr of the geth. As they reached the hangar, Illyria came to a decision.

"EDI, is there room in the AI core to place Legion's body?"

"Yes Shepard," came the reply. It would take someone delusional not to hear the emotion in the AI's voice. The four of them walked over to the AI core slowly, placing Legion's inert platform on the table that he had once rested on before. However, there was no awakening him once again from the place he had gone.

"Shepard, what will become of him?" Liara asked quietly.

"He will rest here until we are done, then we will make sure that he is remembered," came the strained reply. "Please, let me have a few moments alone." The rest of the crew looked at each other and nodded, Liara giving her love one supporting hand squeeze, before they left the Commander alone.

"Shepard, Legion was a person, at the end. He referred to himself as 'I', not we," EDI said, breaking the silence as gently as possible.

"I know EDI," Shepard whispered in reply as the tears fell once more.


	2. There is Another Option

"There is another option. Sythnesis."

Illyria Shepard's vision swam as she forced herself to focus on the holographic projection of the Catalyst. It didn't help that the damn thing looked like it was underwater, and had trouble deciding whether to look like a human child or a scaled down Leviathan. It also didn't help that she was woozy from her wounds, that blood, sweat and tears were falling into her eyes, and she was very close to unconscious.

"W-what do... you mean?" she asked groggily.

"The Crucible has changed the nature of the Citadel and myself. It has created a new... possibility. To merge organic and synthetic life. To create a new DNA. I tried to force this eons ago, but my efforts... were not successful. But the Crucible has made it possible. If you combine your energy with the Crucible, if you provided a template, it would be possible."

Illyria had trouble understanding as the Catalyst started rambling technical jargon. She was a biotic, not a combat engineer, all this stuff went right over her head. She coughed heavily, disturbed to see blood as she spat it out and cleared her throat to speak. Even then, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"S-so there would... be peace? The Reap... Reapers would stop?" The Catalyst turned to her and was silent for a moment, contemplating this.

"Yes, my solution would no longer be required. The Reapers will stop the harvest, and not need to continue it."

"S-s-so... what do I need ... need to do?" it was getting harder for her to talk, and her voice was barely above a whisper. The Catalyst turned as something rose up near the beam of green energy flowing from the Crucible to the Citadel, some sort of podium. The Catalyst started walking towards it, beckoning for Illyria to follow. She took the fist painful step, gritting her teeth and grunting against the agony that shot through her entire body, the anguish turning the seconds into eons, before taking another. After about twenty eternities of horrifying pain, almost to the point of blacking out, she was standing at what looking like a hastily improvised console. She turned her head to the Catalyst hovering next to her.

"S-s-so... wh-what... now?"

"Place your hands here. The energy from the Crucible will flow through you, using your organic tissue as a template and then sending out the carrier wave using the Mass Relays." Illyria could easily put her right hand where the hologram indicated, grateful for something to lean on. Her left hand was more of a problem, since her arm had been broken and she was putting what small pressure she could on the wound on her abdomen. She turned to the shimmering light one last time.

"Wi-will... this work?" she groaned.

"The outcome is... uncertain. The Citadel was never designed to be used this way, so there is no guarantee of the outcome. This is the only chance, however."

"Thought as much," Illyria replied, before screaming in pain as she forced her left hand onto the indicated place.

The instant her left hand touched the plate on the console, the energy from the Crucible flowed through the completed circuit. Shepard screamed even louder as the raw power of the most dangerous technology in existence used her body, mind and she was certain her soul, to create a new DNA template that would forever erase the line between organic and synthetic life. Her last coherent thoughts were of Liara, and how sorry she was that they would never get to see their children grow. Then her mind was obliterated by the pain as her right arm began to burn.

She saw, but could not process the sight as her head shot upwards to let her ravaged throat release her anguish to the stars. A sphere of green light was billowing out from the main bulb of the Crucible, expanding past and through her quickly to engulf the planet below. The faintly pleasant sensation of the wave as it passed through her went completely unnoticed through the intense agony she was currently suffering. Once the wave had washed over Earth like the tide upon the shore, the Citadel arms opened wide and a beam of light burst forth, speeding towards the Charon relay at the edge of the system.

Unknown to Shepard, the Catalyst started screaming as soon as the Citadel started to send the carrier wave through the beam to the Mass Relay system. The Crucible was never part of its design, and it had never had a chance to incorporate it, to study, understand or test it. The reason the console that Shepard used looked improvised it because it was. There was no time to test it; there was only the first use. The Catalyst had not anticipated that Shepard's actions, and it's own, would cause what was about to happen. While it was true that Shepard and all the organic races in the galaxy would benefit from the synthesis carrier wave as it wound its way through the Mass Relays, the Crucible was designed as a weapon against the Reapers countless cycles ago.

Even as the humans, asari and turians were changed, the Reapers were being destroyed. What was creating new bonds between biology and technology in all the races of the galaxy, it was concurrently undoing them in the Reapers and their creations. The Reaper forces on Earth were the first to fall, ground forces falling dead as the cybernetic controls that kept their flesh barely together collapsed at the atomic level. The Reapers themselves were next, the delicate interfaces in their control centres disintegrating, cascading throughout their enormous forms until they literally fell into pieces, even while they continued to disintegrate.

Within hours, the green carrier wave had spread throughout the galaxy, causing the relays to collapse but not outside the realm of repair. The Reapers were utterly destroyed, the dead ground forces littering the ground of a thousand world while their former masters, whether in space or groundside, began to dissolve into nothing but dust and dreams. And alone on the Citadel, Commander Illyria Shepard lay dying.

The Crucible stopped sending the current through her body when the wave had hit the Relay system, but the damage to the human was already done. Her right arm had been burned from the inside out, and all that now remained was a blackened, horrifying mess at her shoulder. She was no longer bleeding out, the heat had effectively cauterised the wounds, but she had still lost a lot of blood and was bleeding internally. Her brain and body had been the first to integrate with technology due to the Synthesis carrier wave, but her eyes were closed and breathing shallow as she lay there. Two of the arms of the Citadel has exploded but the massive station was still there, with enough atmosphere to keep her alive. Green lines of code floated on the inside of her eyelids as she lay there, her mind still overwhelmed.

She opened her eyes one last time to see that the battle was over, the Reapers had been stopped. She grimaced in pain, closing her eyes again as unconsciousness dragged at her entire being.

_I did this all for you Liara. Please, forgive me..._

This was the last thought of Commander Illyria Shepard.


	3. The Tell-Tale Heart

_Beep. _

There was only the sound. She couldn't tell when she was first aware of it, but it was there.

_Beep. _

The only thing she was aware of. The only thing she was sure of.

_Beep. _

It had started as an agony, a raw lash of pain across her consciousness each time the terrible torture was inflicted.

_Beep. _

Then it became a question. What was it, this sound?

_Beep. _

She couldn't see; she didn't have the strength to open her eyes. Strength she also lacked to talk or move. There was only hearing, and only the sound, regular and painfully annoying.

_Beep. _

It was something to think about, certainly. The last thing she could recall was using the Crucible, and being so badly wounded and passing out. Did this mean she was dead?

_Beep. _

No, not dead, because she'd been dead before, and it hadn't been like this.

_Beep. _

And if it wasn't dead, then it certainly couldn't be any sort of afterlife. If it was, then religion had some seriously explaining to do.

_Beep. _

So it wasn't death, and it wasn't any form of afterlife she'd ever been told of. That left only one last option.

_Beep. _

She was alive. She'd somehow survived long enough to be found and brought to a hospital.

_Beep. _

But who, and how, and where, and why? These were questions that would have to wait.

_Beep. _

Right now, there was only the sound. The sound of the heart monitor. The sound that reminded her she was alive.

_Beep. _

The sound reminding her that she was alive, and had someone to be alive for.

_Beep. _

She had already died for her once, and it was merely and inconvenience.

_Beep. _

Her love was stronger than death; it gave her the strength to go on past what would kill others.

_Beep. _

She would find her asari love, find _Liara_, once she had the strength.

_Beep. _

She was Commander Illyria Shepard. Failure was not in her vocabulary, and impossible was her daily faire.

_Beep. _

The first step was to open her eyes. Mission: Impossible accepted.


	4. The Distance Between

It had been three weeks since the incessant beeping had wormed it's way into Shepard's skull, the first sign that she was not, in fact, dead just yet. But she wasn't exactly jumping out of bad and running marathons. She still had not opened her eyes or used her voice, but she was starting to think she could feel her body again, possibly. She had been vaguely aware of something moving two days ago, a tingle in the area she thought of as her chest. She was not aware that this was the doctors finally removing the breathing tube that had been down her throat since shed been there, that she was capable of breathing on her own.

She was aware that she hadn't opened her eyes, but there was still something she could see, some sort of cascade of green. She didn't realise this was all part of the synthesis solution that the Crucible had made possible, the massive creation she had used to end the Reapers once and for all over three months ago. She was not aware that she was, to all outside perception, in the middle of a never-ending coma. A coma that to the various species of doctor who saw her she seemed unlikely to ever wake from.

But they were not aware that she was becoming aware of the outside, her nanites, Cerberus implants and the Synthesis solution healing her far faster than even she had a right to. The beeping of the heart monitor was the first sound, and now, after three weeks with that infernal sound boring into her head, she was finally beginning to hear other sounds around her. But they floated, dreamlike and ethereal, through the corners of her consciousness, compared to the constant dull thud of the heart monitor.

"_... no change Doctor. She's been like this for weeks. Her heart-rate hasn't deviated more than six beats per minute for the entire time she's been lying there."_

"_What about brain activity?"_ asked a voice that sounded awfully familiar to Shepard, but she couldn't quite place it.

"_Well, that would be a good indicator of healing, but we don't have that equipment available. All the currently functioning ones are already being used on our more critical patients."_

"_Are you saying Illyria isn't critical?!"_

"_I'm saying she's stable, and at the moment, that's good. I know this is a severely trying time Doctor, but simply put we have no other resources we can give the Commander without threatening the lives of our other patients!"_

"_Oh,"_ the second voice replied, and Shepard was sure she knew it. However, her hearing and her memory were not talking to each other right now, so she remained frustrated. The voice was familiar, feminine definitely, but the exchange she just heard proved that she was capable of being hard when required. "Forgive me. If you'll excuse me, can I return to her side?"

"_Yes. I know this may not help, but even now we are still uncertain about mental functioning during comas like hers. She may be able to hear you."_

"_Thank you Doctor."_

Illyria heard the sounds of clothing rustle, and the steady breathing nearby that she took to mean that the owner of the second voice was now sitting down in a chair in the same room. There was the sound of an activating omni-tool and the pressing of several haptic interface buttons. For the first time now, the code playing itself on the inside of her eyelids like a projection changed. Instead of the previous display of cascading green, the new lines were in bright omni-tool orange, and the weirdest thing to Shepard was that she implicitly understood what it was.

She knew the code she was seeing was the omni-tool's wireless protocols searching for a signal that meant compatible technology capable of sharing data. Illyria thought about possibly reaching out through to the omni-tool, and somehow her brain and technology interpreted that as a command protocol.

_Accessing remote viewing. _

New lines of code, bright blue and fizzing, played out on the screen of her eyelids, activating a basic access protocol. It would do little more than access the moni-tool and allow Shepard to see what was happening, but this was new to her as well. Baby steps and all that. What was weird is that the little announcement of the protocol activation felt totally natural. It felt right, even good.

Shepard could now see the buttons as they were pushed, the codes executing with each move, and figured out that whoever was on the other end of the button was about to make a call. A highly encrypted call, with a top-end vocal disguising program. Shepard could see the code, and the same little part of her brain flashed before chimed again.

_This encryption could be broken with current setup in 20.135 minutes. _

She tried to ignore that little hint and focused on using her ears to listen to the call, about the only thing she could do right at this moment.

"_Glyph, how many assets do we have within range of Sol?"_

"_Very few Shadow Broker. Is there something specific you require?"_

"_Yes, I need a portable brain activity scanner, compatible with human physiology. As soon as possible would be good."_

"_Scanning known inventory in the Sol system. Unfortunately, there are none that are both functional and not in use. However, there are appear to be several in nearby human colonies, and the Relay System is scheduled for testing in 3 weeks."_

"_Thank you Glyph, that will be all."_

"_Have a pleasant day Liara."_

If there had been a brain activity monitor attached to Shepard at that point, everyone would have seen a massive spike. Her mostly unaccessible memory flooded back to her, the single word unlocking everything that had been hidden away. The person not two metres away from her was her sky blue beauty, the love she'd found in the most unlikely place imaginable. The woman who'd fought death itself, had Shepard but realised, to be with her again. The one who'd done the amazing and impossible with. She was sitting just over there, and had no idea that she could be heard.

Shepard had to do something, make Liara understand she could hear her!

* * *

Liara closed the call and omni-tool interface, turning back to the woman laying down on the bed. She seemed like a different person now. Where once she was full of life and fire, the only signs of life about her now were the rise and fall of her chest and the constant beep of the heart monitor. Her right arm was completely gone, and it would be months before it could be replaced, there were simply not enough resources yet. The rest of her wounds had been treated and she had almost completely recovered from them, the red skin and light covering of bandages all that remained of the horrific wounds.

The problem of resources would soon be over, with the Relays returning to functionality hopefully in a month. The comm buoy system and limited QEC sets meant that there was some comminucation throughout the galaxy, and some of the Relays were already being repaired, though the Sol one would be the first due to the massive fleet still in the system. Liara smiled, leaning forward and taking Shepard's remaining hand in hers. Everything she had fought for was here, the galaxy united and peace between most. Old animosities died hard, and individual capacity for evil were always there, but for the most part every species was getting along.

Now there was only one thing Liara wanted. She wanted Shepard, she wanted her Illyria to wake.

"I don't know if you can hear me Illyria, but I'm going to talk anyway. I love you, I love you so much it hurts sometimes, seeing you here like this. But I know you'll get past this, you always do. You were always the strong one, the one willing to look beyond old hatred and blind ignorance and see the truth. You fought for that truth when no-one else would believe you. And I love you for that. I love you because you rescued me, accepted me, and learned from me, as I have done the same to you. I love you Illyria, so please, come back to me. I remember the promise you made to me, and I'll be damned if I let something like this stop you from giving it to me! You owe me Shepard! ... And I owe you my heart. So please, by the Goddess, please come back for me." The last word was barely a whisper, as the tears fell into the open, pink palm of Illyria's hand.


	5. Awaken

Liara smiled sadly. Three weeks had passed with hardly time seeming to have actually progressed, but here it was. The first test of the newly repaired Charon Relay, and looked like it was a success. Of course they first sent through a comm. buoy, then a probe to see if it worked. When the signal came through strong and clear, there was a large cheer, even in the hospital where she sat her vigil, waiting for Shepard to wake up.

Illyria still just lay there, but all the life-supporting machinery now removed. She had progressed enough that the only concession to her coma-like condition was the IV cannula that was inserted just above her left wrist. But she still had shown no response to stimuli, and the doctors were becoming worried. She still showed pupil response and automatic nerve response, but there was no sign at all her higher nervous function was getting through to her brain. Liara choked back another tear, forcing herself not to cry. Shepard had shown her that there was always a time for tears between them when they were together, and she had often held the asari when she needed to cry. But now she needed to be strong and wait for her love.

She looked back down at the lightly-tanned skin of the hand she held in her blue one, giving it a gentle squeeze as she activated her omni-tool. She was expecting a call from either Garrus or Tali very soon, since the dextros were the ones most in need of leaving the Sol system. Thankfully, there was a formerly abandoned turian colony within reach of the Charon relay, and both dextro species would be heading there first, before going back and helping rebuilding their home worlds. Just as she suspected, not long after she turned it on that both of them called her, so she established a conference call between them.

* * *

Shepard could feel Liara's hand squeezing hers, but her body still refused to cooperate when she tried to squeeze back, give some sign that she was aware of her soul-mate. She was a prisoner inside her own body, and suddenly she felt a pang of sympathy for Benezia. For the too brief moment she had been able to fight the indoctrination, she described it like being able to see, but never being able to be heard outside the cage of your own mind. Then it happened again, the orange text played itself on the screen of her eyelids. Though she had been initially surprised by it, after three weeks, she recognised the signs of Liara's omni-tool. She had even been able to detect other omni-tool whenever a doctor or nurse came in to check on her, but they were there too briefly for her to be able to do anything.

Liara's was another matter altogether. She hardly ever left Shepard's side, and had been coordinating a lot of Shadow Broker resources for rebuilding the galaxy using her omni-tool. Shepard had been able to gain remote viewing access, and had been steadily working her way towards some kind of remote manipulation, but the encryption and security on Liara's omni-tool always stopped her before she could break through, or she would turn it off part-way. But Shepard had a feeling, as she listened to Liara talking to Tali and Garrus, that she might be able to change that today.

* * *

"Hey Liara, I assume you've heard the news," said Garrus.  
"About the relay test earlier, yes. It was on the news here in the hospital," replied Liara sombrely. Garrus had hoped that the news would bring a smile to her face, but it seemed his hope was ill-placed.  
"A lot of happy turians with that news, I can tell you that much."  
"Not to mention quarians. We barely got time to unload our civilians onto Rannoch before the Fleet came here. Hopefully our planet will be able to welcome us home, the ones who are going home anyway."

Both of them tried to avoid the issue, but they hadn't been able to get to the hospital in the last week, and it would be an abuse of bandwidth just to get a status update about Shepard. They were her friends, and Liara's friends as well, and they were concerned about Shepard's health.

"Liara..." Garrus started. He cleared his throat and looked away from the camera. "Can you tell us anything about Shepard?" Liara inhaled deeply, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall.  
"No Garrus. She's still in a coma, or something like it. She's only on IV now; they've taken away all the other equipment." She gave a little sob, even though she fought to hold it in. "I don't know what to do," she managed eventually. She squeezed Illyria's hand again and looked at the almost serene face of her love, her face finally at peace as though in a dreamless sleep. "The doctors have no idea why she isn't awake. Her implants are fine and even a brain scan showed normal activity." All of that was true, though it wasn't entirely everything either. But she didn't want to start a rumour without talking to the two people on the other end of the call first.

"I have something to ask both of you, and I want to keep it secret for now."  
"Of course Liara, you can count on us, right Tali?" The quarian looked almost shiftily to the side. She was an admiral now, but still a quarian, and they did love to gossip. Liara gave her the best glare she could muster, even with her eyes shining with barely-restrained tears.  
"Fine, I agree not to tell anyone. So what's up?"  
"Have either of you two noticed anything... different recently? About yourselves, about your armour or technology, anything out of the ordinary? Anything... green?" Garrus looked like a weight had been taken off his shoulders.

"Spirits, I thought it was just me."  
"I've been getting some strange reports recently, but nothing personally, what are you two talking about?" Liara let out a sigh of relief that her theory now had a little more proof.  
"Well, I've been noticing some odd things about Shepard, and myself to tell you the truth. It started about a week ago, and I just put it down to stress and a lack of sleep," said Liara.  
"It stated two days ago for me, I nearly jumped out of my carapace."  
"Still no idea what you two are talking about over here," said Tali.  
"I'm sorry Tali, forgive me. Goddess, it will sound silly when I try to put it into words." She massaged her temple and closed her eyes to focus, and confirm once again what she was seeing.

"About a week ago, I started noticing the colour green more, especially whenever I looked at Illyria. When the doctors came and checked her pupil response, I could swear I saw a flash of green in her irises. I don't need to tell you that her eyes are unmistakably blue, right?"  
"Yeah, go on," urged Tali.  
"That was just the start. Since then, I've seen what looks like green lines on her skin, almost like circuitry, like a new system right next to her blood vessels. And that's not the worst. Recently, I started seeing it on my own skin, though I can't feel it and it only lasts for a second or two before it goes. But just today, I've started seeing things when I close my eyes, like a cascade of green on black. Whenever I try and focus on it, it disappears, but it's there the next time I close my eyes."  
"Thank the Spirits," said Garrus, the relief palpable in his voice. "I thought I was losing my mind when I started seeing it, but that's pretty much my symptoms as well. Though I haven't seen anything when I close my eyes yet."  
"This is really weird. I've been reading reports that some quarians are experiencing these symptoms as well, but our doctors had it pegged as some sort of contaminant combined with lack of sleep and stress. I never thought it would be something like this." Garrus took on a thoughtful frown.

"Could this have something to do with whatever went down at the Citadel with Shepard?" he asked. Liara paused, she had been wondering the same thing as well, since the first symptoms of whatever this was had started with her.  
"It's possible Garrus, but she's the only one who could tell us for sure. Goddess, this would all be so much easier if she just woke up."  
"It would T'Soni, but that's not what the Spirits have in store for us. We never had it easy, Shepard's crew. Why should it start now that we're the ones left and Shepard isn't able to save us? Looks like it's our turn to show we can pull our own weight. Besides, if we want our statues to be anywhere near the size of hers, we need to put in some extra-curriculars here." By the time he was finished, there was a definite smile on his face, Tali was laughing, and even Liara had a proper smile on her face.

* * *

_Remote Viewing Access Achieved. Breaking Decryption. _

Shepard watched angrily as the blue text burned bright on the screen of her mind, overlaid on top of the background of orange that was Liara's omni-tool code. She had been listening to the three of them, and knew what they were talking about. It had to be the Synthesis, the solution of the Crucible and the Catalyst combined; a new union of organic and synthetic life across the whole galaxy. Obviously, she started showing it first, but others were now experiencing it. Pretty soon, there would be widespread panic. If only she could wake up and tell everyone what had happened, it would all be so easy.  
_Yeah right Illyria, when has it ever been easy for you_, came a traitorous thought. She pushed it away as she focused on the blue code execution.

_Encryption Disabled. Remote Root Access Achieved._

_Finally_, she thought with a mental equivalent of a relieved sigh. _Ok, I need to access a type to voice program, does she have one installed?_ She waited as a background search went up, blue code lines gently pulsing as they executed her commands, though her results came back negative. _Fine, let's open a new email message that she can see, maybe it will get the message across._

* * *

"…and then she basically shouted at the Admirals until they cleared me of the charges. I honestly thought at one point she'd get the crowd to riot," said Tali. The three of them had gotten around to reminiscing about their favourite memories of Shepard.  
"I remember that," Garrus interjected. "Xen was fairly cool, but I could have sworn that Zaal'Koris wet himself. I bet Han'Gerrel really regretted insulting Shepard later when she tossed him off the Normandy after he shot at the ship we were escaping from."  
"He complained about that for weeks," groaned Tali. "At least you never had to field the daily calls from a whiny Admiral."  
"No, I had to field them from half a dozen whiny turian generals who couldn't reach the Primarch."  
"I think I win with this. I had to put up with a whiny Shepard every time she had to resist punching said Admirals and Generals to get anything done," said Liara with a grin. There was barely a second before Garrus and Tali replied in unison.  
"Doesn't count T'Soni." Garrus continued after Tali gave him the gesture to continue. "You were well-compensated with sex. I don't remember anyone coming to me for physical comfort when I could have really used it."  
"Are you forgetting something Garrus?" Tali said with a murderous undertone. Garrus looked like he just recognised his mouth had overtaken his brain, but his whole body was about to suffer for it.  
"Uh… what I meant to say was."

But they never heard what was next over the sound of Liara's scream.

* * *

Liara's scream was heard throughout the whole floor, and naturally the nearest five doctors and nurses converged on Shepard's room. All they found was Shepard, just as still, healthy and non-responsive as ever, but Liara looking on in silent horror at her open omni-tool. Most of the doctors wouldn't have asked, that sort of information was private, but one of the nurses was a little nosier, and looked over her shoulder. Her face visibly paled when she saw what was there, and everyone could hear a turian and a quarian loudly shouting to be told what was happening.

Eventually, a salarian doctor came over to see, and was completely flabbergasted for a few seconds, before he eventually found his voice.  
"Everyone stay calm, and don't move. I want total silence for the next five minutes." He managed to tear his eyes away from the screen of the omni-tool, where an open email draft in bright green light displayed the following:

LIARA, I CAN HEAR YOU. AND I'M NOT WHINY!

The doctor moved over to Shepard, once again testing the pupils for reaction, and for the first time since she was admitted, there was a response most then the dilation. For just a fraction of a second, her eyes twitched. He grabbed T'Soni by the arm still holding the active omni-tool and brought it closer to Shepard.  
"Doctor," he said to Liara, "I know this is unconventional, but I believe Shepard has found a way to communicate using your omni-tool. I'm not going to even begin trying to understanding yet, but I need to test something." He turned back towards Shepard. "Commander Shepard, if you can hear me, please indicate it on Liara's omni-tool."

He waited a few seconds, looking between Shepard and the omni-tool nervously. Eventually, a new line of type appeared below the first one.

I CAN HEAR YOU.

The salarian's eyes grew wide, so did the eyes of the human, asari and turian doctors and nurses who had gathered into the room. But no-one was more speechless than Liara. She didn't stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. _It's a miracle, thank the Goddess_, was all she could think.  
"Commander," the salarian spoke again, "can you tell us anything about your current situation?" more lines of type appeared on Liara's omni-tool.

I CAN HEAR YOU. I CAN FEEL LIARA SQUEEZING MY HAND. I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I CAN WIRELESSLY ACCESS LIARA'S OMNI-TOOL. IT TOOK ME THREE WEEKS TO GET ACCESS TO BE ABLE TO MANIPULATE IT. IS THERE GREEN LINES VISIBLE ON MY SKIN?

Everyone suddenly looked down at Shepard arm, the largest patch of visible skin. Just like Liara had described to Garrus, there was a flicker of fine green circuitry-like lines traced across her arm, which seemed to shift and disappear with the shifting light as the shadows moved. This time it was Liara who spoke.  
"Yes Illyria, there are green lines on your skin, like computer circuits. Do you know why?" she squeezed her human lover's hand a little tighter, hoping against hope that this was real and not just some dream as she sat down in her chair next to Shepard.

SYNTHESIS. CRUCIBLE HAS CHANGED THE GALAXY. ALL ORGANIC AND SYNTHETIC LIFE IS NOW EQUAL. ALL ARE ALIVE. AND APPARENTLY, I CAN DO THIS NOW.

Liara gave a sound, which may have been a sob or a laugh. She couldn't imagine what Illyria had done, but the results were undeniable.

WHY CAN'T I FEEL MY RIGHT ARM?

And then Liara sobbed for real. How was she supposed to tell Shepard that she lost her arm to whatever had happened on the Citadel in those final moments? Thankfully, the salarian doctor had accepted what was happening, even if the cause was something he could research later.  
"I'm sorry to inform you Commander, that your right arm is gone. When we found you, there was nothing left except a burnt stump of your shoulder, and there were significant internal injuries consistent with extreme electrical burns. We had to replace your right lung, but we haven't been able to replace your arm yet. Too many other patients who are more critical than you, and too few resources as of yet."

There was a long pause before the next line of type appeared.

CAN EVERYONE PLEASE LEAVE? I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO LIARA IN PRIVATE. AND CAN I ALSO GET A DATAPAD OR ELECTRICAL DEVICE? I THINK THAT'S HOW I'LL BE COMMUNICATING FOR A WHILE.

"Of course Commander, we'll give you some privacy. I'll be back in a few moments with that datapad for you," replied the salarian doctor. Some of the other medical personnel looked like they would argue, and a look from Liara quelled any thoughts of resisting Shepard's request. Once the room was empty again, Liara sat down, still holding Shepard's remaining hand, only now realising that Garrus and Tali were still on the line.  
"Did I just hear that correctly?" Tali asked. "Shepard hijacked your omni-tool, while in a coma?"  
"Yes Tali. Do you mind if I call you back? Shepard just asked for some privacy."  
"Of course Liara. Call me again later."  
"Anytime T'Soni, and remind Shepard that I'm still King of the Bottle Shooters," said Garrus, before both of them cut the call. Once the call was ended, there was a new line of type in the email.

MELD WITH MY, MY LOVE.

"Shepard, I don't know if I can. Very few asari are able to meld with someone when they are unconscious, and it's very taboo to try it."

PLEASE LIARA. I'M NOT UNCONSCIOUS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A WORD FOR WHAT I AM RIGHT NOW.

"Alright my love. For you, I will try." She held Shepard's hand a little tighter and whispered the words every asari was taught. "_Embrace eternity_."

* * *

At first Liara felt only darkness, even as her mind reached out for the familiar comfort of Illyria's. Then she saw something, like a light in a distance, and she moved her mind towards it. As she got closer she could feel it more clearly. It was a shape that she recognised as Illyria, the human once again whole as she appeared in the meld. But it was different somehow, lines of swirling green criss-crossed her body, like the reflections of water on a rippling pond. She looked down and saw the same green enveloping her own mental image, but less pronounced than Illyria's.

"Shepard, what is this?" Liara called out across the mental bridge between them, even as they moved ever closer to one another.  
"I'm not sure of the details Liara, but let me show you what happened." Illyria sent a mental probe towards Liara and she accepted it, watching as a blurry memory played out. "I can't remember all the details, I'm pretty sure I was right on the edge of death the entire time, but this is what I remember." They two of them watched in silence as the memory played, the Catalyst talking about Synthesis and then Shepard executing it. Then it all went dark, and they returned to the dark mental landscape of the bond.

"This is so much to absorb Illyria. So what are we now, part technology as well as biology?"  
"That is a question for someone else entirely. What this is though, right now, is something I've needed to do for months now." Illyria's mental self walked forward to close the final distance with Liara and enveloped her in a hug, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss as feelings of love, hope and immeasurable joy passed between them. As they broke the kiss, Illyria stared into Liara's eyes, both of them flashing green whenever the light hit it in just the right way. Liara rested her head on Illyria's shoulder, as the human put one arm around the asari's waist and another to gently caress the neck.  
"Whatever we are now, and whatever we will face, we'll do it together Liara. I'm never leaving you again, I promise." Feelings of love, comfort, longing and joy surrounded and infused Liara, before the bond was ended.

* * *

As she was brought back to consciousness from the meld, she saw the Salarian doctor standing in the doorway.  
"I didn't want to intrude, the two of you were obviously sharing a private moment." He waited at the doorframe until Liara gave a nod to allow him entry. "I found this blank datapad, and put in a simple text-to-speech program. I'll leave you to it, and check up on you and Shepard in about an hour." He handed over the datapad, before leaving the room and locking the door.

As soon as Liara turned on the datapad, the screen was overtaken by cascading green text, and her omni-tool returned to its standard orange. The green code was replaced by blue writing as the program Shepard searched for was accessed and utilised.  
"_Can you hear me?_" asked the stilted, synthetic voice. It sounded nothing like Shepard, but it was far and away more than Liara had ever hoped for even ten minutes earlier.  
"Yes Shepard, I can hear you. Can I ask just how you are?"  
"_I can hear and feel, and those annoying lights they shine in my eyes are too powerful. And I think I'm starting to regain muscle control_."  
"Is there anything I can get you other than this datapad?"  
"_If you can get a Shepard VI, that would be cool. But for now, I think I'll be happy just with this_."

Liara wasn't sure what Illyria meant until she looked up and saw the human's eyelids fluttering. It took a while, long enough for Liara to stand up and hover over her lover's face. But after a minute her unmistakable blue eyes opened, and for the first time in months, Liara saw life in them. Dulled and sluggish, but the old fire of Illyria was back in them, shining like stars.

At first it was just blurs, mostly white and blue, but after blinking a few times, Shepard eventually saw the one thing she had truly been missing. The smiling face of Liara looking down at her, tears of joy forming trails down her cheeks that only made her more beautiful to Illyria.  
"_Hey there my Blue Beauty_," Shepard intoned from the datapad. For her part, Liara nearly collapsed as it all became real to her. Illyria was awake, and the first thing she had seen had been her, not anyone else. She placed a chaste kiss on her human lover's lips, before burying her face in Shepard's pillow beside her neck. She sobbed gently, months of pain, frustration, guilt and sorrow washed away by the tears and the hope that her love you be back for her soon, mind, body and soul.


	6. Recovery

Two weeks had passed since Illyria Shepard had managed to open her eyes on her own. In that time her recovery had been swift, she was able to sit up, wiggle her toes and even move her left arm, though not with any strength. She couldn't stand yet without leaning heavily on Liara, or one of the others who had come to visit her more frequently. She was able to eat on her own now, and the seeming horde of doctors that came to treat her let her remove the IV cannula.

The two weeks was also time used to subject her to a battery of tests to try and determine what, if any, detrimental affects the Synthesis solution might have caused, and why her symptoms had manifested the way they did. They determined that the new-biosynthetic Shepard was in fact much better off than she had been, though her full physical recovery would take a while. As for the coma-like condition and her ability to wirelessly access nearby electronics, the doctors had a theory that since most of her mental functioning had been shutdown in the wake of her injuries, her new 'systems' came online first and took most of her brain power to get used to. After reaching out physically and gaining some measure of control over her new abilities, the healing process had decided that she was ready to begin connecting the mental to the physical healing.

In the last two weeks, almost all of the patients, doctors and staff at the hospital began to show the distinctive green flash of the new galactic norm. Some of the doctors had even been brave enough to give a blank datapad to some of the other coma-like patients, and more than one shout of surprise indicated that Shepard hadn't been a one-off case.

This particular morning saw Illyria sitting up in bed, Liara once again at her side, and a holographic Shepard VI standing at the bed's shoulder. They were sitting up so they could be on a conference call to Tali and Garrus, who were currently planetside on Draenei, an old turian colony that had been re-opened and used for temporary refuge while the rest of the relay network was restored. Now that the lessons had been learned about how to repair them with the Charon relay, smaller crews could do the work in quicker time. A ship and crew the size of a dreadnought, or five cruisers, could be sent through a relay, and assuming there was no other significant damage, repair the relay in as little as one month. It had been a great relief to all the fleets and species that were still trapped in the Sol system that they might be able to get to their homeworlds within a year.

"The quarian and geth fleet will take time though," came the sound of Tali's voice. What made it even better for Shepard was the fact that now Tali was showing signs of Synthesis, and aided by the geth jump-starting the quarian's immune system adaptation, she could take off her faceplate to have a conversation like this. "We live right on the galactic edge, and there are a lot of relays we have to repair to get us there. Seems like we'll be wandering the stars a little longer."  
"But it will be worth it in the end Tali," whispered Illyria. Though she was technically able to speak, she usually couldn't do so for more than a few minutes at a time, hence the Shepard VI hovering behind her. She kept it around, after tweaking the vocal processes, so if the need arose, she could use it to talk for her instead of using her actual voice. "So, will the colony be able to handle you all until enough of the network is back online to send you back to Rannoch and Palaven?"  
"No need to worry there Shepard," answered Garrus. "The buildings were a little run down, but the entire agricultural infrastructure was still sound. The Reapers passed right by it. We were able to get crops started, and there's enough fish and game on the planet to sustain us. I'm not saying it'll be easy or comfortable, but we'll make it, don't worry. We didn't beat the Reapers just to starve to death."

Garrus' mention of the Reapers triggered a question that Illyria hadn't asked yet.  
"Hey, so what did happen to Harbinger and his buddies?" Liara shifted to face Shepard so she could answer.  
"No-one is really sure Shepard. The Reapers themselves had disappeared, and studying the remains of their ground forces hasn't exactly been a priority. From what little that has been done, it seems that while Synthesis carrier wave changed everyone else, bonding technology and biology, it seems to have done the opposite for the Reapers." Illyria's face formed a frown as the thought process unwound.  
"And since the Reapers are both, that mean that they would have come apart. But to disappear completely? Are you telling me they fell apart at the molecular level?" Illyria's eyes were wide at the implications.  
"I can't say for sure, but it certainly looks like it Illyria," replied Liara with a smile. It seemed like a dream that would not have been possible four years ago, a galaxy without a trace of the Reapers. And once the wounds of this cycle were gone, they would only exist in history.

Illyria tried to talk again, but her vocal chords had had enough and refused to cooperate. She closed her eyes and ran through the commands, the blue text scrolling past her eyes as she access the VI over her shoulder to talk for her. Once she gained control she opened her eyes again, the irises flickering green.  
"So, any of you heard from Wrex yet?" he had only come once a week ago, and even then seemed eager to be somewhere else. They never did understand why, and he had been out of contact since.  
"Have I mentioned how disconcerting it is to see you do that?" asked Garrus. "And to answer your question, no. He's been uncharacteristically silent since he went to see you. No more daily calls bragging about this or that accomplishment by the krogan on the ground in London, or how many tonnes of building rubble they moved today. I could almost get used to it." He gave a turian grin to the camera.

"Look, Wrex is big enough and ugly enough to look after himself," said Garrus upon seeing Illyria's concerned features. "And seriously, he's is Earth, not Tuchanka. He can eat what he likes, there are no predators big enough to give him pause, and even the deserts there aren't a patch on his. Just wait until he contacts you, I'm sure it will be fine." Illyria looked down, and used the VI's voice to reply.  
"You're probably right, I'm just getting worried about him because I have nothing else to think about."  
"What about you Shepard," asked Tali. "I'm hearing a crazy rumour that the Council has been visiting you daily, begging you to join them."  
"Begging huh?"  
"Pleading on their knees, tears streaming down their faces at the thought you'll say no." Shepard laughed, and that was certainly a sight to see. Her physical body went through all the motions, a small puffy grunt sound all that her throat would allow. Her VI went through all the same motions completely in sync, the laughing sound almost, but not quite, covering Shepard's actual voice.

"Wow, I needed that," Illyria finally said when she stopped, hands holding her aching sides, her VI counterpart mirroring the actions behind her. "Well, officially, I have no comment Admiral Zorah. Unofficially, I have been visited by Tevos and Sparatus, both of them having an actual informal discussion with me. Both of them may have mentioned that they wouldn't be averse to me taking the Human seat, but nothing so formal as a request or endorsement. Just a tail-between-their-legs statement of how they needed someone of my judgement and experience. Which is really them saying 'we were gigantic asshats for not listening to any of your warnings, and now we're desperately trying to find something to appease you so you don't crush us with your awesomeness.'"  
"So, have you thought about it?" asked Garrus. "I mean, you're already a Commander, a Spectre and a Saviour of the Galaxy. Though not as fancy as my own title of King of the Bottle Shooters, so I suppose you need something to try and one-up me on that score. I'm actually wondering what kind of titles you'll have thrust upon you. You do realise you will be able to live off the royalties now, like for real and not just imagining, right?"  
"Believe me Garrus, that's the only good side to being in this bed right now, I don't have to face the endless ceremonies where everyone and their varren is going to try and pin several extra kilos onto me. And don't get me started on all the promotions and honorary positions in military, government, corporate and education sectors. Please, I will always be Commander Shepard."  
"Yeah yeah, but you'll never be King of the Bottle Shooters!" Illyria rolled her eyes. She missed one shot with a gun she doesn't even use, and he lords it over her. _Probably will forever_, she realises.  
"Laugh it up Garrus."

A knock on the doorframe from the salarian doctor, the one who had unofficially become her head doctor, as he poked his head in.  
"Sorry Garrus, Tali, looks like I'm going to have to call you back," said Illyria. Both of them said goodbye and closed the connection, allowing Illyria and Liara to give the doctor their full attention.  
"Shepard, as you know, we're recently been testing you to see how this 'synthesis' will have longer-term affects on the galaxy. Thank you again, by the way. I know it wasn't fun for you, but you really did help us treat a lot of people with the knowledge we gained from it." He walked over and sat down next to the bed opposite Liara.

"Now, there are still a few outstanding things with your recovery, as I'm sure you are aware. Firstly, though you are healing at an extremely accelerated rate, your muscles and muscular control have atrophied significantly over the months you're been lying in that bed."  
"I'm aware. I still can't do more than sit, though I suppose having both legs is a blessing."  
"Indeed. It will likely take plenty of physical rehab and therapy, but you should be able to have full use of your legs within six months. I'm not saying you'll e running marathons, but you'll be able to walk unassisted."  
"Thankyou doctor, that's wonderful news," said Liara, squeezing Shepard's hand again. The doctor noticed, and cleared his throat.  
"This brings me to another point about your recovery. I know we've had supply issues recently, but with more of our patients healed enough to leave, we can now treat you more effectively. I'm proposing to you that, if you want it, we can clone you a new right arm and attach it."

Illyria's face became a mask of pain at the mention of the word 'clone,' and the doctor was suddenly unnerved. He could tell from her scans that a lot of her internal organs had been previously cloned, and was unsure why this would cause a reaction now. Liara murmured something he couldn't hear to the human woman, and her face calmed.  
"I'm sorry doctor, but I'm afraid I won't be able to accept anything... cloned." She almost choked on the word. Ever since she had to kill her own fully-alive clone six months previously, she had developed an aversion to both the word and the implications. It's... her finally question of why the original Illyria deserved to live when she didn't, before she chose to end her own existence, still haunted her.

"Then there aren't a whole lot of other options Shepard. We don't have a tissue match for you in this hospital to make a transplant, in the city even. And with your unique condition, I'm not sure it's wise to try anything that isn't perfectly matched to your genetic structure anyway. There aren't any cybernetic arms available either until the manufacturing capacity returns, and that will take anywhere from months to years. And I'm sorry to say that the longer you leave it, the less likely you will regain full use of your right arm. So unless you know of a source I don't, I'm afraid you will either have to accept a cloned arm, or live without one."

Illyria closed her eyes and a single tear fell out of it. The doctor was right of course. If she wanted her right arm back, she'd need to have one cloned. But she just couldn't face that situation right now. She racked her mind trying to think of something, when an odd memory came to her.

"_Legion, where did you get a piece of N7 armour?" the AI looked down at the piece of chest-plate and shoulder pauldron that bore the distinctive red-white-black motive that was the hallmark of Alliance N7.  
"It was yours," the AI replied slowly. Pointing to the large hole in the chest area, it explained, "this is the impact of a rifle shot sustained on Eden Prime. When we discovered your end on Alchera, we used a piece of your hardsuit to repair it."  
"But why use my armour to fix yourself?"  
"There was a hole."  
"Why not repair it sooner, or with something else?" the AI's facial plates extended and fluttered in a way it had never presented to Shepard before. There was a longer than usual pause before it answered.  
"No data available."_

"Wait, maybe there is something." She muttered. Or rather, the VI vocalised while she held her chin in her remaining hand. She remembered Saren, towards the end, had a large number of synthetic parts… including a geth arm grafted where his left one used to be. Maybe she could do the same, but there could only be one source she would use, and that had to be from the platform formerly known as Legion. "I might have an idea," she said aloud. She turned to her asari lover.

"Liara, have we had any word yet on the _Normandy_?" Liara turned on her omni-tool and consulted it.  
"It's not in the Sol system, I know that much. From what I can gather, the _Normandy_ escaped through the Charon Relay just before the carrier wave used the Relay network to spread across the galaxy. We haven't been able to find them yet, though there hasn't been a repair team sent in the direction of all the former places the Charon relay connected to."  
"Have they sent comm bouys to all of them?" Liara typed in a command and looked at the results.  
"Not all of them. They've sent repair crews to five of the relay connections, though there are two they haven't even sent t comm buoy through."  
"Get them to, somehow, I need to find out what happened to the _Normandy_."  
"Why is the _Normandy_ suddenly important?"  
"Because of Legion's body." Liara looked at Illyria as though she had just mentioned that gravity tasted like gravy.

"Illyria, you're not making sense. What are you talking about, what does Legion have to do with this?" Though Liara didn't have eyebrows in the true sense of the word, see had picked up the idiom of raising one when perplexed, as she did now. Illyria sighed, she had hoped it would be obvious.  
"Remember Saren, he had a geth left arm when he fought us four years ago."  
"Yes, but-" began the asari. The salarian doctor just nodded, but remained silent as Shepard interrupted.  
"Legion used a piece of my old hardsuit to repair his right arm. And Legion's body is on the Normandy."  
"Wait," said Liara, beginning to understand. "You want to retrieve Legion's body and use it's right arm to replace your own?"  
"In a nutshell, yes," replied Illyria. She looked over at the doctor. "That would work, right?" the salarian didn't move, contemplating this new information.

"Well, integration possible, certainly, especially since Synthesis. And if in good condition, should be excellent replacement. Certainly feasible to attempt."  
"Excellent," replied Shepard's voice through the VI, while her physical body heaved a sigh of relief. "When would it need to be here by to have the best chance of success?" The doctor scanned her shoulder with his omni-tool.  
"Based on your current readings, if it was here within two months there should be no noticeable loss of nervous control. Though you would have to get used to having three fingers instead of five. Hmm, never particularly understood why so many species tended towards tridactyl hands. Humans, asari and drell only species with more than three fingers. Always found that odd. Anyway, two months, or reconsider cloned arm." Trying to ignore the flinching that Shepard did when he mentioned 'cloned' he stood up and made to leave, Illyria and Liara already turning and leaning in for a kiss.

"Oh, one more thing," he said, turning at the doorway. "Considering your unique condition. In addition to your considerable implants, Synthesis has greatly increased the lifespans of all life, even down to the cellular and microbe levels. Based on the average lifespans of humans, adding in the factors of your modifications, I would predict that you will live a long and healthy life Shepard." Shepard subconsciously turned off the VI as she asked in a tentative whisper.  
"How long?"  
"Several centuries at least. 300, possibly even up to 400. Though only estimate at this stage, impossible to be certain. I will leave you to it." With that he left, leaving the two in a stunned silence.

"Did he just say I might live to 400?"  
"Yes, he did Illyria." Liara had tears in her eyes. When they had talked about it at all, neither of them had really though much about how Shepard would die long before she would ever see any of their asari children grow to full adulthood in asari terms. But this, this news made all sorts of things possible.  
"Wow." That was all either of them said for long, joyful hours as they joined minds and imagined the future in all its glorious new possibilities.


	7. I will fight no more, forever

**A/N: There is mention of sexy-time stuff in this chapter. Between Shepard and Liara (and a vibrating hand). So if you are offended by that, what the hell are you doing here? Go find some Shenko or Shakarian if that's your thing, but right in this little corner of the interwebs, its all engines forward for Asari and Talibrations!.**

**/end rant**

**but seriously, there is one of my favourite quotes in the second part of this chapter. **

* * *

**Three Months Later**

Illyria woke up with a small start as her nightmare ended. She had thought that with the war over, her finally being released from hospital and living the life she felt she deserved, they would stop. But once every few days, she would still get them, horrible nightmares that reminded her of all the loss that the Reaper war had brought.

She tried to roll over to her side, causing mumbles and moans from her bedmate. Illyria stopped and looked over to the naked blue asari who shared her bed, her love and her life, and a small smile crept to her lips. She knew that her full recovery would take a while, but knowing that Liara would be beside her every step of the way gave her strength. She craned her neck and placed a gentle kiss on the top of the asari's head, where the two central crests separated, causing a more appreciative moan from Liara, who slightly tightened the grip of the arm around the human's waist.

Shepard looked over to the clock on the bedside table, and found it was only 10 minutes until the alarm would have woken them anyway. She placed another kiss on Liara's head and tried to lift the arm currently trapping her. Though it received only more complaints from the still-sleeping asari, Shepard managed to escape to a sitting position, even if there was a slight frown on Liara's face now that she was alone. Shepard tentatively stroked Liara's face with her right hand, surprised once again at how natural it felt. Surprised because six weeks ago the _Normandy_ had returned to Earth, bringing with it Legion's body. The surgeons had little trouble in grafting Legions arm onto her right shoulder, the old N7 armour stark on her body. It had taken a few days for her mind and body to fully sync with the new hardware, but after a week it was like it had always been her arm. She could feel it when she touched things, almost like her old human arm. Like the doctor had imagined it had taken several days to get used to having different numbers of fingers on each arm, but it was worth it to have an arm, and to honour a friend.

Illyria shook herself out of her reverie and moved her pillow under Liara's outstretched arm to try and placate her, before pivoting so her legs were hanging off the bed. Though she had made a lot of progress with her recovery, there was still something that she had a long way to go for. She reached for the sturdy cane that had been placed near the bedside table, pulling herself upright with her arms as her weak legs struggled to support her weight. She took some slow, tentative steps towards the bathroom that alighted at the top of the steps in her cabin on the _Normandy_. She managed to make her wait to the bathroom and close the door without waking Liara, then she manoeuvred herself under the faucet and let the water warm her still-naked body. She leaned against the wall, almost sitting on the bar that had been installed there for her. Illyria closed her eyes as she let the water soak her body before reaching for the soap.

She wasn't sure how long it was before Liara joined her, but the first she became aware of it was a set of warm lips kissing hers gently, hands threading fingers through each other. She opened her eyes to another set of blue eyes looking at her with joy and love, though still a little bit asleep.  
"Hmm, looks like you got a head start on me Illyria. Since it looks like there's nothing left for me to do, I guess I'll just be going." She made a mock attempt at escaping the shower when a warm hand grabbed her wrist.  
"Where do you think you're going Miss T'Soni. I may be clean enough, but you just got out of bed. I need to make sure that you're clean enough before we meet the Council later." Shepard voice had a mocking edge to it, and Liara turned around, a coy expression on her face.  
"Well, far be it for me to stop you making sure I have a nice clean body," Liara said in a sultry whisper.  
"Clean body perhaps, but I think I'm a little too late for the mind."  
"Shepard," Liara said with a fake swat to Illyria's rear. "How can you say such things?"  
"After last night and your insistence to try out the new functions we discovered my arm has, very easily."

Liara's eyes rolled a little and she bit her bottom lip gently as the memories of their lovemaking the previous night came rushing back. For the most part their sex life was gentle, given Shepard's condition, but when they discovered that Legion's arm had several previously unknown functions, Liara had been eager to test them out. She may have been a little more forceful and demanding last night as she tested out the vibration settings of Shepard's new arm, and may have orgasmed harder than she ever had before because of it. They never did try out some of the other functions, that would have to wait.

Liara was brought back to the present by a familiar hum as Shepard activated her arm's vibrating function again, taking the loofah and rubbing it over Liara's body to make sure that all traces of sweat and sex were removed. Liara hummed in approval, her hums becoming markedly higher and more moan-like as the cleaning arm moved around her more sensitive areas, like the back of her neck, her crests and her lower back. All pretence of humming was gone as the soapy hand vibrated its way around her breasts, along her thighs, around the cheeks of her butt and finally coming to rest on her azure. She looked Illyria in the eye and moaned, hoping her face would convey what she wanted Shepard to do. Illyria's face opened in a huge grin as she teased around Liara's slick sex, before removing her hand and rinsing Liara off.

"Goddess Shepard, don't leave me like this, please," begged the asari. Illyria wrapped Liara in a firm, if soapy embrace, her head and neck moving to place her mouth right next to the membrane that served as Liara's ear.  
"Like what, my Celeste?" Illyria asked in a hot whisper against Liara's sensitive neck  
"So close, like this, please don't leave me aaAHH!" The last word turned into a gasp as Liara felt Illyria suck gently on one of the folds of her neck as she simultaneously pulled both of them back against the wall, giving Illyria enough support for her to move her right arm back between Liara's thighs and press a once-again vibrating finger into her wet centre. Illyria felt the familiar push of Liara's mind as she initiated the meld, the two of them feeling and becoming one as they pushed each other inexorably towards climax.

As their minds and bodies slid down the wall and recovered, Liara placed a kiss, passionate but sated, on Shepard. As their breathing calmed while the water cascaded down their naked forms, the two of them smiled at each other.  
"So, feeling awake now Celeste?" asked Illyria. Liara had noticed the new pet name Illyria had been calling her the last few weeks, and looked it up on the extranet. It was from an Earth language called Italian. Its most literal form was just 'sky blue' but the more poetic interpretation was 'heavenly,' which is how Illyria felt about Liara.  
"Hmm, very much so. That shower hit the spot." She stood up and reluctantly turned off the water before lending a hand to Shepard to get back up.  
"Oh, just the shower, eh?"  
"Well, there may have been some additional input by you, but it was mostly the shower," she teased her human lover with a wink.

Liara handed back Illyria's cane and got their towels, handing one to her lover before exiting to avoid being playfully whipped with the towel. After they were both dry and dressed, being a little more difficult for Shepard than it used to be, they sat on the bed looking at each other. Liara grabbed Shepard's left hand, her human one, and squeezed it gently.  
"Are you sure about this Illyria? I know you've done wonders for the Galaxy, and you've deserved every honour they've given you." Her eyes briefly stole a glance at the wall opposite the fish tank, which was now sparkling as medals and accolades from every species had been pinned there. "But are you really sure you want to do this now?" Illyria had followed her lover's glance towards the wall adorned with metal, but it was another wall two levels down that had cemented her resolve.  
"Yes Liara. I'm sure. I owe the Council, the Alliance, and the whole galaxy really, the opportunity to hear it from me. And in return, they owe me the respect of my descision."  
"You've earned this Illyria, never let anyone tell you otherwise." Liara finished with a kiss to emphasise her feelings.

XXX

It was the first time the entire Council now sat in session with all members attending. The Council had been dramatically increased to reflect the true galactic community they were now in. In addition to the turian, asari and salarian councillors who had survived, as well as the initially vacant human seat, Council seats were extended to the volus, the krogan, a consolidated seat for the hanar and drell and another consolidated seat for the people of Rannoch, the geth and quarians. The batarians had been extended and offer but refused, saying they wanted to focus more on rebuilding on their own, requesting a small embassy post for the moment until they were ready to re-integrate into galactic society. The rachni queen and her brood had disappeared once again, but had left saying that when they were ready, they would seek out the Council themselves. The vorcha just fell in line behind the krogan.

So it was that the Concillors Sparatus, Tevos and Valern, joined by the human Jorje Valaknoss, the krogan Jorgal Arnot, the volus representative Arx Knalk, the hanar and drell representatives, the geth platform designated Myriad and Admiral Zaal'Koris via comm. hologram greeted Commander Shepard. They had been asked for an audience by the Saviour of the Galaxy, and each of them had scrambled to be the first to accept. And now Shepard stood in the largely untouched Council chambers on the Citadel, leaning heavily on Liara by her side and even more heavily on the cane in her right hand. In addition to the Council, the gallery above was packed with military and government representatives from all over the galaxy.

"Councillors, I know many of you personally, I call you my friends, even though we haven't always seen eye to eye. I know almost all of your species have decorated my chest with medals beyond count. That makes what I have to say to you today even harder, knowing you all as I do." She paused to take a breath and to look to Liara. Liara gave her a small smile and nod of support, so Shepard turned to the Council once more to address them. "There once was on Earth, a long time ago, a wise man that had fought almost all his life, and then fought no more. His words echo my own thoughts now."

"'_Hear me my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever_.' These were the words of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce, and now they are mine as well. I have fought for my life, and the life of the galaxy, and now I have earned my rest. I come here before you all as a gesture to show that with the galaxy now united as we are, my time is done. I am resigning from my commission as Commander in the Alliance, along with the command of the _Normandy_. I am resigning from the Special Tactics and Reconnaisance branch of the Council, and also resigning all honourary positions I have been granted now, so that I am beholden to no-one, and likewise none are beholden to me."

As she finished speaking there was several long moments of silence, before a clapping began somewhere in the gallery. It was soon taken up by all present, even the Councillors themselves. After several long minutes of thunderous clapping, wild shouts and whistles, too loud and jumbled to pick out anything; Councillor Tevos raised her hands, calling for silence once more. As the crowd wound down, everyone looked to see what her response would be.  
"Commander Shepard... I mean Illyria Shepard. We, all of us here today and all still living in the galaxy, owe you and your crew a debt we can never repay."  
"You have saved the galaxy as we know it, often in the face of great adversity," spoke up Sparatus. "Sometimes, against the adversity of people in this very room. Our apologies will never be enough now, but know you have the heartfelt thanks of a grateful galaxy."  
"Shepard, you have shown the very highest levels of devotion to duty, compassion and understanding," added Zaal'Koris. "Alone and with no recourse and often little support, you have united the galaxy in a war that would have ended us all. You have ended petty conflicts centuries and millennia old to make us realise the truth of all our actions."  
"You have given us all hope for the future Shepard," called out the krogan Jorgal Arnot. "A future where our children will grow up without old grudges and fears, but with hope. We owe you all we can give, for you have given us more than we can ever repay, the gift of simply having a future."

Tevos looked along the line of Councillors, each of them nodding emphatically.  
"Illyria Shepard, we accept your resignation. Go with our thanks and forever in your debt. May we be allowed one question?"  
"You can ask Councillor. I cannot guarantee I will answer," came the reply.  
"Where will you go from here?" Illyria looked over to her asari, her Liara, her Celestial beauty. Everything she needed, for the rest of her life, would be with her. As long as they were together, anything was possible, any dream worth living, and worries not applicable.  
"Wherever the wind make take us." With that last response the Saviour of the Galaxy, defeater of the Reapers and Giver of Hope, left. With her love at her side, there was really nothing else she could want.


End file.
